[2] It is the only species of bird in the world with a beak that is bent sideways in one direction, always to the right (in the crossbills, e.g. Loxia pytyopsittacus, the tips of the upper and lower mandibles cross because they are bent sideways in opposite directions, sometimes left over right and sometimes right over left).

[3] It lays its eggs among the rocks along rivers and distracts intruders by pretending to be in distress and moving away from its clutch.

It is rated as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species.

French naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard described the wrybill in 1832.

The other difference between the sexes is a small black bar between the white forehead and the grey crown, which is present in the males but not the females.

[6] Wrybills like to roost in large flocks during winter which differs greatly from breeding time when they become very territorial towards other birds.

Wrybills are usually found foraging around shallow channels and around the edges of pools on insect larvae, aquatic invertebrates and sometimes small fish.

They have evolved in a very distinct way to thrive on braided river beds: their beak is slightly tilted towards the right at an angle of about 12–26 degrees[11] which is speculated to help them get insect larvae[12] and small invertebrates that take refuge under the crevices of rocks; however this has never been conclusively proven.

Threats include predation, flooding during nesting time, habitat degradation and disturbance from vehicles along the river beds.

Introduced mammalian predators such as ferrets, stoats, weasels and hedgehogs pose a significant threat to the survival of the remaining population.

As wrybills prefer an open clear area of shingle on the river bed to nest, introduced plant species such as gorse (Ulex europaeus), willow (Salix spp.

[14] The wrybill is rated as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List of Threatened Species, The population declined during the 1800s as they were collected as museum specimens because of their strange bent bill.